The Telugu Desam Party has retained the Kukatpally Housing Board (KPHB) municipal division seat, by-election results for which were announced here on Tuesday.
TDP candidate Dandamudi Samrajyam won the seat with a majority of 2,167 votes, against the nearest rival P Harish Reddy of the Congress party.
The counting took place at the GHMC office at Moosapet.
The polling for the municipal ward by-elections was held on 16 October. Of 70,886 voters, only 35.55 exercised their franchise at 125 polling booths in the constituency.
Though there were 11 candidates in the fray, the main contest was between the TDP and the Congress.
The seat had fallen vacant due to the sudden demise of TDP corporator Dandamundi Shobhanadri on 11 June.
Tension prevailed at the counting centre since the beginning of the vote-counting on Tuesday morning. A verbal duel between workers of the Congress and those of the TDP soon turned into a physical clash, and the groups dealt severe blows to each other.
The political activists even attacked the media and damaged other private vehicles. The police had to resort to a lathicharge to control the situation.
Later, the TDP workers took out a victory rally to their party headquarters NTR Bhavan.
Addressing the gathering, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the KPHB by-election results were an indication that people have lost faith in the ruling Congress party.
He also alleged that the Congress had a secret pact with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, and that was the reason why the TRS did not field its candidate in the KPHB by-elections. (INN)